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2/5 Stars.
Movies.ie Critic Review
RED DOG (USA/PG/92mins)
Directed by Kriv Stenders. Starring Josh Lucas, Rachael Taylor. Rohan Nichol, Luke Ford, Arthur Angel, John Batchelor, Keisha Castle-Hughes.
THE PLOT: Western Australia, 1979, and trucker Tom (Ford) arrives in the small mining town of Dampier, where a local hero, Red Dog, is dying. It’s then he hears of how the dog was first found ten years ago, and how, over the last decade, he has become a local legend. Particularly attached to bus-driver John (Lucas), who was particularly attached to company secretary Nancy (Taylor), when his master is killed, Red Dog spends weeks awaiting his return. Desperate, he, eh, heads to Japan in the hope of finding him…
THE VERDICT: Whilst on holiday in Western Australia, novelist Louis de Bernieres (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) was inspired by a statue of the eponymous real-life mutt to write a series of fictional short stories. And this is where debut feature director Stenders and screenwriter Daniel Taplitz have taken their inspiration too, delivering a family film that isn’t all that far removed from a good-old fashioned Lassie outing. An awards winner and box-office hit in its native Oz, Red Dog does its best to be a crowd-pleaser. And, if you’re happy to be part of the crowd, it should indeed please you. Personally, I found it, eh, pretty ruff going. By the way, leading actor Koko gives one hell of an audition, which you can catch on youtube. RATING: 2/5
Review by Paul Byrne